Yuletide Fools
by hannymae
Summary: Disconnected from his best friends, it looks to be another lonely Christmas for Cabba. Or not. Three Yuletide fools walk into the store. Three Yuletide friends walk out. Oneshot, real world AU. Entry for Gh/Vi Christmas Contest.


**_A/N: Inspired by AADCC's 'I always get emotional at Christmas time'. That song was my childhood._**

* * *

 _No. Wait. That doesn't sound right._

Sighing heavily, Cabba immediately backspaced his text, deciding that he sounded too casual. He hadn't seen her in years after all. Who was he to think that they could just pick up where they left off?

Humming in contemplation, he subconsciously started typing a new message into his phone. He smiled at the draft before the corners of his mouth turned downward again. No, that didn't sound right either.

He resisted the urge to pull his hair in frustration, the occasional sidelong glances his seat neighbour was giving him not lost on him. No need to publically humiliate himself on top of everything else.

Cabba inhaled and exhaled deeply before hunching over, giving his phone his utmost attention as he began to draft his message once more.

 _Hey, Caulifla!_

 _What do you say about grabbing dinner?_

He shook his head, deleting the text. Again, it was far too casual to work. What if she got the wrong idea? Not like her getting the _right_ idea would be beneficial to him either. After all, he was essentially waltzing back into her life after five long years apart from one another.

Deciding that it was no use sitting around at the bus stop any longer, Cabba got to his feet and walked away, burying his face into his woollen scarf.

All around him, people were bustling about, with business men and women hastily buying toys for their children as last minute Christmas presents while kids wrapped in parkas and snow pants pressed their faces, red from the chill, into the glass window displays of various toy shops.

He passed by a middle aged man cosplaying as Santa Claus, ringing his bell eagerly to garner the attention of others in hopes that they would donate to whatever cause he was supporting. Behind his faux glasses were twinkling eyes. He wasn't the only one affected by the Christmas hype. Nearly everyone in the street was preoccupied by something related to the end of year holiday.

On the opposite street, Christmas carollers, composed of multiple school age children with their teachers or parents chaperoning, belted one song after the other, singing tunes of joy and harmony in keys that were not necessarily correct.

But Cabba wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, having formed some kind of bubble around himself. He was more absorbed in what he would say when he inevitably crossed paths with Caulifla once again.

His snow boots stepped in something too soft to be comfortable. He looked down at the slush that was melting snow mixed with a cooling coffee that someone had spilled onto the pavement, the beverage likely the cause of the wet, icy puddle.

"Cabba?"

He froze, stiffly turning around before he relaxed. "Oh. It's just you, Kale."

To anyone else, it would have sounded rude or offensive but Kale was used to his behaviour. He never really was much of a people person, preferring to huddle in the corner of rooms with his phone while everybody else socialized, catching up on years lost.

Kale pulled down the scarf that she had wrapped around the bottom half of her face. "Hello to you too," she said, her voice lightly teasing. "So what are you doing out here? Christmas shopping like the rest of us?"

It was only then that Cabba noticed the shopping bags she clutched in both hands. "O-oh. No, actually. I was just... thinking."

Kale nodded, easily accepting the omission he had spat out. "Do you want to go grab some drinks?"

It might have sounded like she was coming on to him but Cabba knew better. The girl was far too innocent to ever insinuate, however subtly, anything like that. When she said drinks, what she really meant was some hot cocoa.

Cabba shifted his hands in his pockets, the gloves he wore doing little to protect his fingers from the biting cold. "Sure. It's been a while so why not?"

So one lonely soul joined another, though there was a line separating them. Once upon a time they had been together but they had decided that they were better off as friends than anything else.

"I got a raise today," Kale said rather shyly. She had gotten over most of the social anxiety she had in high school but still found it rather immodest to talk about herself, even though she hardly did and deserved the spotlight for at least a little while.

"Congratulations." Though his voice sounded strain and falsely cheerful, Cabba truly was happy for his friend's success.

But Kale didn't seem to pick up on that fact. She fell silent and did not elaborate, choosing instead to lower her gaze at her shuffling feet.

"Sorry," Cabba apologized, suddenly sounding and feeling a million years older than he actually was. "It... I've come home and..."

Kale raised both eyebrows, knowing where he was getting at. "You still haven't talked to her yet? Why not?"

Cabba tried not to wince at her bluntness, still a bit unused to the once shy, docile Kale actually being assertive. He had only become reacquainted with her a week ago when he finally returned to their hometown after studying abroad for so long.

"Well?" Kale prompted, nudging him with her elbow. "You guys are best friends."

"Were," Cabba corrected.

"Semantics. Don't try to change the subject Cabba, you're not very good at it. Caulifla was my friend too you know." Her gaze saddened. "We all were. Back in high school anyway."

Ah, yes, high school. Those had definitely been Cabba's golden days - the best years of his life. It had been him, Kale and Caulifla against the world. They had even played on the same co-ed volleyball team. Back then, they were as close knit as Harry Potter's golden trio.

So what had happened?

If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't know what exactly the reason was that they were no longer so tight. They had just... drifted apart, each wishing to pursue a different career or education path. Years of friendship gone; lost in time.

At least Kale and Caulifla still kept in touch, meeting up once or a twice.

A month, that was.

With an unimpressed tone, Cabba pointed out as much to Kale, who smiled weakly.

"It was only after I got my teaching degree that I decided to try and reconnect with her again. But by then, a lot of things had happened and... it wasn't the same." She struggled at the final part of her sentence but Cabba knew what she meant all too well.

It was the same feeling, after all, that kept him from sending that text to her. _Coward._ He shook his head. No use berating himself, even if he thought that he did deserve it.

"It's not your fault," Cabba mumbled, sensing the guilt she was feeling. "I mean... even in high school she's always been... a bit abrasive." He smiled wistfully as the first flakes of this evening's snow began to fall. "But that's what made her Caulifla."

"She was our friend," Kale added, nodding to the doorman as he guided them into a warm, homely shop which served all sorts of hot, toasty beverages perfect for winter. "A-and she still can be...!" She bit her lip. "If we just give her a chance."

As they sat down, Cabba whipped out his phone again, this time intent on getting through a message to Caulifla. He tapped away on the keyboard while Kale ordered a hot chocolate for them both, only looking up once to tell the waiter that he only wanted white marshmallows in his as opposed to Kale's whipped cream delight.

Exhaling, he showed the message that he had typed addressed to Caulifla, whose number had been passed on to him by Kale, to the same girl.

 _Hey, Caulifla, it's Cabba._

 _It's been a long time and I was hoping we could meet up? Now if you're not busy? Kale and I are at Pop's Hot Cocoa Shoppe._

It wasn't the best but the pair didn't really have any better options. At this point, they only wanted to see their best friend again.

Just as Cabba was about to hit send, having gotten approval from Kale, she grabbed his arm. "Wait."

"Huh? Don't make me lose my nerve now, Kale..." Glancing up to frown at Kale, he caught sight of a face that he thought he wasn't ready to see just quite yet. Every single thought he was thinking flew out the window as Caulifla stared into the shop through the display window. "Holy shit."

Caulifla seemed to notice them too, her eyes lighting up in surprise as their gazes met.

"It..." Cabba was at a loss for words. Slowly, he stood up.

"Cabba."

Somewhere far away, he heard Kale's voice urging him to sit down and that Caulifla wouldn't appreciate it if he glomped her like in those anime shows. Numbly, he complied.

 _Ding._

The door opened and Caulifla stepped inside, running her hands down her snow pants to sweep some ice away. Almost lethargically, she walked toward their table, each step she took painfully slow.

Ten seconds later, she stood beside their table, her gloved hands balled into fists. She lifted her gaze off the floor, her expression unreadable. "Hey."

Suddenly, Cabba felt himself tongue tied, which wasn't unusual. If he were talking to a stranger. But this Caulifla.

Then again, she might as well be a stranger too.

Kale found her voice first. "Good evening, Caulifla," she said politely.

Cabba nearly cringed at how formal she was being. Memories of long ago swam to the front of his mind, one which involved Caulifla grinning and laughing raucously while she wrapped one arm around Kale's slender swan-like neck while using her free hand to give Cabba a not so delicate noogie.

Without realizing, he had lifted his hand up to his head and was now passing that hand through his hair, pausing when he reached his cowlick.

"You're back." It was more of a simple statement rather than anything else. Cabba couldn't not decipher any hidden meaning behind her words.

"Yeah," Cabba said, leaning back in his chair as he watched the steam rise from his hot chocolate, which the waiter had faithfully delivered when he was typing that message to the very same person who was now gazing at him with flinty onyx eyes. "I'm back."

Caulifla's voice seemed to uncharacteristically waver as she said this, "For good?" Her seemingly perpetual frown flattened even further as if she had upsetted herself even more by letting her voice tremble.

There was no hesitation on his part. "For good."

"Then welcome back..." The corners of her mouth twitched upward. "Dork."

They ordered another hot chocolate (which arrived almost immediately) for Caulifla before entering into the first conversation that they had as a trio in five years.

"You're a teacher now?" Caulifla blinked in surprise as she sipped her drink. "Wow, Kale. You actually did it. I'm proud of you." She snorted, "I have no idea how you can stand those brats though."

"They're cute!" Kale protested, though there was no real vehemence behind her words just as there was no malice behind Caulifla's. "And they behave so well."

"Rutah was a nightmare at that age," Caulifla stated. "She's even worse now that she's a teenager." At the word 'teenager' she shuddered. "She thinks she knows everything now."

"All fifteen year olds are like that," Cabba sighed. "Parsley was a real wild child when she was that age."

"She was awesome!" crowed Caulifla. "Remember when she lit up those fireworks illegally?"

"That's exactly my point!"

It was amazing how they could slip back into such banter again, Cabba mused as he drained the rest of his drink. Caulifla and Kale hadn't been able to do it, he realized, because he wasn't there. He was the final piece of the puzzle. The male was no fool - he could see his self worth. He just didn't realize that he affected others so much as well.

"I really do love teaching," Kale said bashfully. "The kids are wonderful and they're so eager to learn. What about you, Caulifla? What are you doing now?"

Caulifla waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing much. I got my degree for law last year but so far all I've been doing is working odd jobs around my mom's mart. Cabba?"

"NASA invited me to work with them," Cabba said.

"Whoa! Seriously?" Caulifla punched him on the arm, making him protest lightly. "Your nerd skills really did pay off then, huh?"

"Good job, Cabba," beamed Kale.

"But that would mean..." The newfound light in Caulifla's eyes extinguished. "That you'll be going back to America soon."

A heavy silence fell upon them but was broken quickly.

"Nah." The way he said it was flippant at best. "I turned them down."

"What?! Why?"

"Ugh, you dork, are you crazy?"

"No, not crazy." Cabba smiled sheepishly. "It's just that... I've been career driven my whole life. NASA's invitation wasn't the only one I got, I have numerous offers here which guarantee a stable income." He sucked in a breath. "I-I want a change. I don't want to be driven by my career anymore. It was fun while it lasted but now," he blinked owlishly at them, "now it's just empty."

More silence.

"So you came back," Caulifla said slowly. "For what?"

"For you." There was no hesitation as he gazed imploringly at them. "For both of you. It's time we started being friends again. Don't... don't you think?"

Kale and Caulifla exchanged a glance.

"Yeah," they said in unison, smiling softly.

"Friends?" Caulifla said, stretching out her hands to either of them.

Their own hands wrapped around hers before Kale joined her other hand with Cabba's free hand.

"Friends," they all affirmed.

For the rest of the evening, the friends bantered and laughed without a care in the world. And when they emerged from the shop, Cabba quickly texted a message to Caulifla, sending it without any hesitation.

 _Thanks for everything._

Three Yuletide fools had walked into the store that day. Three Yuletide friends had walked out.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Oya oya? Another oneshot? Yeah, you're not seeing things. This was mostly a Christmas themed kind of story. I may do one for Halloween too but ehh...**_

 ** _Just wrote this for some Kale/Cabba/Caulifla platonic fluffs._**


End file.
